How and Why to Use a PixScan Mat

PixScan mats are used with Silhouette Cameos to hold your vinyl, HTV, card stock, or other material in place while being cut by the Cameo after you have used a photograph to know exact placement of material and designs. PixScan mats are great for precision. You place your material (card stock in this example) on the mat, take a photo of it, and import it into Studio. It maintains the exact size (real world dimensions) of your material. Now you can see exactly where your material is on the mat and place your design exactly where you want it to make sure your alignment is as perfect as you expected it to be. Then your Cameo cuts it. Voila! Perfection every time.

Where to Get the PixScan Mat

Uses for the PixScan Mat

Some people use the PixScan mat so they can use scraps and make sure their designs are fully over the material. It’s a real bummer when the edge of the design runs off your material. Then you either have to completely redo it or cut the missing piece (depending on the material) and try to perfectly align it.

Others use the PixScan mat for print and cut projects. Perhaps you’re making stickers or labels. First you design your labels (maybe a full sheet’s worth) in Studio. Then you print the image(s) such as label text using Studio and your printer. Then you cut your shapes around the labels so everything is pretty, equal, and clean cut.

Ok. Hopefully you have a better idea of what the PixScan mat is and why you may want to use it.

How To Use the PixScan Mat for a Print & Cut Project

Now let’s walk through a project. One I did recently involved my kids’ hand prints. The hand prints add a few extra steps, but I think we’ll all agree it’s worth it for something so special. This is a little more involved project because I used the PixScan mat, hand prints, and Print and Cut techniques, but just take it one step at a time and you’ll see how easy it is. If you are familiar with Studio, then this will be a very simple and quick process for you.

1. First I traced my kids’ hands on a sheet of paper. I recommend using a marker. Make sure there are no broken lines. I wasn’t thinking about that, so I had some cleanup work to do.

2. Place the paper on the PixScan mat keeping it within the solid borders.

3. Take a photo of the complete mat. Try to take it from as straight on as you can. Surrounding clutter does not affect the image.

4. Transfer the photo to your computer and save it. I usually email it to myself and then download it.

5. Open Studio.

6. From the File menu, click Open PixScan Image.

In version 3, the PIXSCAN window opens on the right.

Note that I didn’t photograph the PIXSCAN window with the handprints but did with my other printed images (shown above for your reference).
7. Select Import from File first to expand that section. Then click Import PixScan Image from File. Browse and open your image. Once it’s open in Studio, do not resize.

NOTE: If you took the photo pretty straight on, when the message about Calibration appears, select Continue without Calibration.

8. From your toolbar, select Trace.
9. In the TRACE window, click Select Trace Area and using your mouse, click and drag to make a box around the hand prints.

10. In the TRACE window, adjust the High Pass Filter (keep box selected) by sliding the bar to the right or changing the value in the box. You want your lines to be as filled in as possible without distorting the image.

11. Click Trace.

12. Select and drag one set of hand prints to separate them. We’ll be working with the traced image only now.

13. If you have a solid image without any necessary breaks, you can right click on your image and click Release Compound Path. This separates the outside lines and the inside lines. Because it’s hand prints, we want the inside lines because that is truer to size.

14. Move outer set of hand prints to the side. Copy the inside hand prints.

26. Copy your hand prints from your previous work space and paste into the PixScan image you just opened.

27. Right-click to flip your image or click once and click and drag the green circle until your hand prints have been rotated to the appropriate position to match your printed text.

28. When everything is just how you want it, click Cut Settings from the toolbar.

29. Select everything except what you plan to cut (hand prints in this example) and then click No Cut in the CUT SETTINGS window. Now only the hand prints should have a thick line around them.

30. In the CUT SETTINGS window, select your Material Type. Card stock is a default setting and works well for me. Then scroll down and select the Double Cut box.

31. Load your PixScan mat into the Cameo.

32. Click Send to Silhouette. When removing your material, if it is paper or card stock, flip the mat upside down and peel the mat off of the card stock to prevent the material from curling.

33. Now the rest of the steps are good old fashion craft skills for the most part. We signed our names on the one hand.

For the middle of the hands, I printed some text on paper, used my straight edge cutter to trim the excess paper, folded the words on paper in an accordion style, and glued the ends to the insides of the hands.

For the other hands, I trimmed the card stock to size and glued it to a clean can (label removed first).

Reflections

Could I have cut the hand prints with scissors? Yes. Could I have written on the them instead? Yes. Could I have printed the text and then traced and cut hand prints? Yes, but that would have been trickier. Is any of that as fun, precise, and pretty? Not when I do it. So, this project was worth a little time and effort to make it look nice.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. I’d love to hear from you. Share an idea for a project you’ve made using your Silhouette skills.